Rutgers routs Cleveland State 70-38

Geo Baker and Issa Thiam scored 14 points apiece, and Cory Sanders recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds in Rutgers’ 70-38 victory over Cleveland State on Tuesday at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

Deshawn Freeman added 10 points and eight rebounds for Rutgers (3-0).

Stefan Kenic led Cleveland State (0-2) with 12 points, eight of which occurred in the first half. Kenny Carpenter added 11 points for the Vikings, who shot 30.8 percent from the field and made only 3 of their 11 free throws.

Rutgers dominated in the paint, outscoring Cleveland State 32-18. The Scarlet Knights scored 16 points off of 14 Vikings miscues.

Rutgers is 12-0 under coach Steve Pikiell in non-conference home games. The series with Cleveland State is 1-1.

This was Rutgers’ third contest in a seven-game homestand to begin the season.

Rutgers outscored Cleveland State 39-16 in the second half and maintained at least a 20-plus point lead through much of the half. The Vikings led for 55 seconds early in the game.

The Scarlet Knights opened the second half on a 18-4 burst to move ahead 49-26. Thiam contributed 11 of those points, including three 3-pointers.

The Vikings made 10 of their 30 shots, including 2-of-13 from beyond the arc, in the first and trailed 31-22.